Unit C-19

The address was not Vivian's office, house, bank, or lawyer.

It was a storage unit near the county fairgrounds, registered to a shell company Elise recognized from claim fraud training. Harbor Educational Outreach. It sounded harmless enough to steal from widows.

Roslyn wanted to take Ruby to protective custody first. Ruby refused. June refused to hand over the phone unless Elise went to the storage unit. Claire shouted at everyone until smoke from her own house made her cough.

In the end, Roslyn split the difference badly: two patrol cars for Claire and June, one unmarked car for Ruby, and Elise riding with Theo because Roslyn claimed she was tired of telling grown women not to run.

"Your shoulder needs a doctor," Theo said.

"My identity needs one more."

"That line is not as good as you think."

"I was hit by a car. Lower your standards."

He almost smiled. It faded fast.

"Vivian's warning about me," he said. "I should have told you about the override six months ago."

"Yes."

"I was embarrassed."

"That is a weak reason."

"It is the true one."

Elise looked out at the strip malls sliding past. Truth from Theo felt different than truth from her family. Less polished. More expensive.

The storage facility had an office with no attendant and cameras that pointed at nothing useful. Roslyn met them at unit C-19 with bolt cutters and a warrant request still pending.

"Do not say anything," she told Elise.

"I admire the optimism."

The lock snapped. The door rolled up.

Inside were banker boxes stacked six high, a portable safe, and a corkboard covered with printed policy pages, photos, and red string. Vivian had built her own murder wall.

At the center was Elise's headshot from Meridian's website.

Under it, Vivian had written:

She is the only one who knows a false claim when grief is wearing it.

Elise's throat closed.

Roslyn opened the nearest box. On top was a list of twenty-seven names.

Ruby Bell was number eleven.

Elise was number twenty-eight, handwritten in red.